CMCL-C 292: Hollywood II
Class Number: 6864
TuTh, 11:15 AM-12:30 PM, CN B100
Required film screening: W, 7:00 PM-10:30 PM, CN B100
Fulfills College S&H Requirement
Instructor: Barbara Klinger
E-Mail: klinger@indiana.edu
Office: C2 225
Phone: 855-1796
This course will survey Hollywood cinema from the post-WWII era of
the late 1940s to the start of the 21st century, examining the
dynamic changes Hollywood, its films, and its audiences have
undergone as a result of a combination of forces, from economic and
technological developments to social and cultural transformations.
We will begin with the challenges Hollywood faced as a result of the
break-up of the studio system, the introduction of television,
suburbanization, and Cold War paranoia and move toward the present
era which is dominated by media conglomerates, convergence,
multiplexes, and the digital revolution.
In the process of examining the business, art, and experience of
American cinema over the last seventy years, we will explore such
topics as how the industry has been affected by changing business
models and box office, alterations in censorship standards, the
emergence of the blockbuster, the rise of independent cinema, the
impact of technology (from 3-D to digital special effects),
exhibition (from the drive-in to home theater), media piracy, and
the significance of international markets. As we study this history,
we will consider some of the major filmmakers, films, narrative and
stylistic trends, genres, and stars that have characterized
different eras of Hollywood cinema in the context of central shifts
in the industry and dramatic developments in American culture.
Students will also learn how to analyze films with respect not only
to their aesthetics, but to the contexts in which they appeared.
In addition to attending lectures, students are required to attend
weekly screenings. There will be 3 exams (including the final), a
number of quizzes, and several short writing assignments. Readings
will be drawn from textbooks and e-reserves.
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